Temperature indicating device

Claim 1

A device for attachment to a bottle or the like which contains a liquid or other material, for purposes of indicating when the bottle is at a particular temperature most suitable for consumption of the contents of the bottle, said device comprising a thin support having an adhesive substance on a first surface thereof for attachment of said device to said bottle, and a temperature sensing element on the second surface, said temperature sensing element comprising a mixture of cholesteric crystals printed on said second surface, said mixture having a transition phase between the smectic and cholesteric phases of from 6°-15° C., said support further comprising colored areas adjacent to said sensing element, said colored area being of a succession of colors which successively correspond to the colors of the sensing element between 6° and 150° C., and wherein one of said colored areas is a marked area which identifies it as corresponding to the temperature which is most suitable for consumption, and a transparent layer covering at least said sensing element to insulate said sensing element from moisture, and wherein said transparent layer thermally insulates said sensing element from ambient temperature and has a thickness of between 150-600 microns, said device further comprising two arrows adjacent to said-colored areas on opposite sides of said marked area, each of said two arrows pointing towards said marked area in a manner so as to indicate to an observer whether the temperature being sensed by the device is too high or too low, and whether further cooling or heating is required.

Claim 2

A device for attachment to a bottle or the like which contains a liquid or other material, for purposes of indicating when the bottle is at a particular temperature most suitable for consumption of the contents of the bottle, said device comprising a thin support having an adhesive substance on a first surface thereof for attachment of said device to said bottle, and a temperature sensing element on the second surface, said temperature sensing element comprising a mixture of cholesteric crystals printed on said second surface, said mixture having a transition phase between the smectic and cholesteric phases of from 6°-15° C., said support further comprising colored areas adjacent to said sensing element, said colored area being of a succession of colors which successively correspond to the colors of the sensing element between 6° and 150° C., and wherein one of said colored areas is a marked area which identifies it as corresponding to the temperature which is most suitable for consumption, and a transparent layer covering at least said sensing element to insulate said sensing element from moisture, and wherein said transparent layer thermally insulates said sensing element from ambient temperature and has a thickness of between 150-600 microns, said device further comprising two arrows adjacent to said-colored areas on opposite sides of said marked area, each of said two arrows pointing towards said marked area in a manner so as to indicate to an observer whether the temperature being sensed by the device is too high or too low, and whether further cooling or heating is required.